I think I’ve died and gone to cheesecake heaven. Like, for reals. This gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake is AMAZING! I’ve never had a cheesecake this creamy, this decadent, this flavorful. All of those other cheesecakes were made with cream cheese too. I’m fascinated at the fact that cashews blended with coconut oil and pumpkin puree, can create this masterpiece. It’s a dairy free miracle!
I wanted to make this cheesecake for months now and let me tell you, it was so worth the wait. I decided to make a crust that resembled a gingersnap cookie. I started with oats, pecans (which go so well with pumpkin) and a little molasses. The crust is the only part of this cheesecake that is actually baked. The pumpkin filling is blended, poured over the cooled crust and placed in the freezer to set. A couple hours after being chilled, it’s ready to be sliced and enjoyed.
This pumpkin cheesecake was my breakfast for like 4 straight days. Is that bad? I just couldn’t wait until the kids went to bed to have it for dessert. Please add this to your list of “pumpkin desserts I MUST make.” I’m certain that no one you make this for will know it’s gluten, egg, refined sugar and dairy free. Everyone will just ask you for another slice!
- 1 1/4 cups certified gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons molasses or pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
- 1 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Start by soaking raw cashews in warm water for 30 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8-inch springform cheesecake pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- To make crust, place oats and pecans in food processor or high-powered blender. Grind for 1 minute. Add melted coconut oil, molasses, cinnamon and ginger. Continue to blend until combined and mixture comes together.
- Press crust into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan on cooling rack, while you make the pumpkin filling.
- Drain the soaked cashews. Add cashews, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, maple syrup and coconut sugar to food processor or high-powered blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and creamy (scrape down sides with rubber spatula for even blending).
- Add lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Blend an additional minute. Pour pumpkin filling into pan, over cooled crust. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours or until set.
- Once set, cover top of cheesecake with plastic wrap. Transfer cheesecake to refrigerator until ready to serve.
kechj304 says
October 18, 2013 at 11:11 pmI'd love to make this, but what could I substitute for the oats? I know it's a pain-in-the-behind but I'm both gluten intolerant and oat intolerant. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Anonymous says
November 1, 2013 at 10:29 pmOne of my favourite gluten free pie crusts from a blog I found long ago… 1 cup of mixed nuts (thirds of pecan, walnut, brazil nut); 8 soaked dates; 2 tsp cinnamon; and a cup of shredded coconut. Combine it in a food processor then press it in the pan. You can cook it or use it raw. and the left overs make great energy balls 🙂
Michelle says
October 20, 2013 at 2:42 amI have used this crust recipe that might be good. 2T cocoa powder, 1/2 c cashews, almonds, pecans OR walnuts, 1/2 salt, 1/2 cup pitted dates. Combine everything in a food processor and press into a pan. No need to bake. hth.
I made it today and it is great!
kechj304 says
October 20, 2013 at 3:30 pmThank you for the idea!! I'll try this crust soon.
sue says
November 5, 2013 at 8:52 pmThis looks so delicious! I am not intolerant but I often look for recipes that might be healthier, the best cheesecake I ever had was made with tofu, I am going to make this as soon as I get a food processor… thanks for sharing it!
HealthGapGladiator says
November 20, 2014 at 6:09 pmTofu is SOY and soy crop is over 90% GMO or GE=genetically modified/engineered so is BAD for you (testing especially in other countries, shows it to cause tumors & cancer in mammals after 90 days). Also keep in mind risks of soy: 1)xeno-estrogen or MIMICS estrogen in body so clearly bad for MALES=infertility; grow breasts, etc. 2)Phytic acid=interferes with autoimmunity of body etc. & not the least of it is it pushes & takes the place of IODINE in your body and THYROID problems & WE NEED IODINE for the dozens of Thyroid functions as the Thyroid is the Engine regulator of our body. Signs and Symptoms from LOW thyroid=Hypothyroidism include: Brain 'fog' / fatigue / dry skin / ridges on fingernails / disappearing outer edges of eyebrows / hair loss even of back of lower legs / headaches / feeling of being cold, cold feet, cold hands / weight gain / headaches, etc. etc. Dr. David Brownstein recommends fermented Soy is the only way to ingest Soy in limited amounts. Fermenting process removes natural TOXINS that OCCUR IN SOY. His Examples of allowable to eat versions of soy should be ORGANIC versions as most ALL of crop of Soy is now GMO / GE allowed list is: …MISO; NATTA; TEMPEH; fermented SOY SAUCE being–"Shoyu" or "Tamari". Brownstein as others have researched to find….Asians do NOT eat a lot of SOY, mainly it is 2-3 Tablespoons a day in the form of mainly fermented soy. Product known as SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE manufactured in such a way that actually leaves in ALUMINUM = Bad; and NITRATES = Bad; and MSG or MonoSodiumGlutamate = Bad; and SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE is found as a dry powder ingredient in many supplements/pills and FOOD from Tofu/veggie burgers; bagels/breads, chocolates, substitutes in dairy products like cheeses, margarines/spreads, yogurts/frozen yogurts or ice creams, frozen pancakes/waffles, etc, etc. = so better to buy Sunflower Isolate or ORGANICE= No GMO =READ LABELS !
Sorry so long…BIG SUBJECT.
NOTE: TSH or T3 or T4 sometimes does not reveal Hypothyroid as Iodine as low, as shows Iodine in blood so test will say Normal when really blocked by displacers of fluoride/fluorine or bromine/bromate in Thyroid cells, SOY would further make this worse.
C D. Vasquez says
November 13, 2013 at 8:11 pmHi, Can I substitute another "fat" other than coconut oil?
thanks
Jen says
November 17, 2013 at 1:48 ami can't do cashews, has anyone used skinned raw almonds instead?
JZ says
November 27, 2013 at 5:00 pmOK – well I used a Mi-Del prepared graham cracker crust and prepped the filling in my Vitamix. It's currently chilling and setting up in the freezer, but OMG the filling was so good!!! I used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup with 1/4 cup agave nectar. I can't wait to see the finished product… thanks for a great recipe!!!
sarahbakesgfree@gmail.com says
November 28, 2013 at 12:00 amI totally agree, the filling is sooo good! I'm certain you will enjoy the final product 🙂
Sat Wilensky says
November 29, 2013 at 6:53 pmHi Sarah! I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I made it for our Thanksgiving dessert yesterday and everyone loved it. They kept asking me, "What's in it again?" and "Are you SURE there's no dairy? It's so creamy!" I was diagnosed with celiacs 2 years ago and also can't have any dairy due to my baby's allergy (through the milk), so this was the perfect alternate to my favorite holiday dessert. I modified a couple of things just for simplicity's sake – used 16 ozs raw cashew meal from Trader Joe's and soaked with 1/2 cup water just prior to blending with other ingredients. Also used trader joe's GF ginger snap cookies and ground up with coconut oil for the crust. Incredible!
Amanda Oller says
December 17, 2013 at 3:24 pmAmazing recipe, this is a beautiful pie and I look forward to trying it.
heyitsfi says
February 18, 2014 at 3:16 pmThis was such a delicious recipe!! Thank you so much! My friend and I made it into mini cheesecakes, and I wrote a blog post about it. I linked your site too (: http://balancedandbliss.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/party-in-my-tummy-gluten-free-vegan-pumpkin-cheesecake/
Anonymous says
September 26, 2014 at 11:47 amdo you Konow if itspossibleto bake it in the ovn for a while or would that ruin it?
Deneen Warmington says
October 20, 2014 at 7:01 pmHi Sarah,
My son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. What can I use to substitute the pecans in the crust and the cashews in the filling? TIA!
Truth Seeker says
November 18, 2014 at 6:37 pmHi.
Do you think I could use xylitol as a substitute for the maple syrup? I'm supposed to be sugar-free.
Reba says
November 27, 2014 at 5:22 pmThis is my 2nd SBGF recipe for Thanksgiving. It is so delicious! Oh my goodness. I've been GF/DF for years, and your recipes are the BEST I have tried!!! Happy Thanksgiving!